The Creation of Students' Academic Slang Expressions in the University of Botswana

This study investigates the creation of students' academic slang expressions at the University of Botswana with data obtained from 32 items in a questionnaire consisting of 89 items. The semantic process of extension is the most widespread creative process, producing 101 (66%) out of 153 selected slang expressions. Five morphological processes, compounding, derivation, conversion, acronymy and reduplication, together produce the remaining 52 (34%) expressions. Also the process of semantic extension features in all aspects of the students' academic life in contrast with the other five morphological processes which are restricted. These findings show that the students draw extensively on and exploit the language resources at their disposal to create new meanings for describing their academic life. The findings also show that all the word formation processes highlighted relate to certain areas of the students' academic life, notably, the students' relationships with their lecturers, difficult courses and those who teach them, performances and grades

Etymology and the Development of L2 Vocabulary: The Case of ESL Students at the University of Botswana

Abstract Part of the history of English is that many of its words are of Graeco-Latinate origin. Hence, the vocabulary of the language comprises words which are short and familiar and those which are foreign and long (Quirk,1978, p. 138). However, both L1 and L2 users have to get acquainted with the second group, which dominates academic discourse. Our students are disadvantaged on two grounds. Firstly, vocabulary instruction for them seems quite deficient in scope and depth, and secondly, the students tend to acquire the vocabulary of academic discourse necessary for their success in tandem with the learning of concepts which come incased in words they are unfamiliar with. Our paper uses data collected from the students' writing over a period of twenty years to examine their specific problems relating to the etymology of English words. Two questions are addressed: What problems does the etymology of English words pose for ESL students? What measures can be adopted to alleviate these problems? We discuss confused pairs of words, pairs erroneously considered synonymous, and coinage resulting from student's lack of appropriate vocabulary. We recommend that teaching the etymology of words used in academic discourse would assist our students to improve their fluency in English. Keywords: ESL, Botswana, vocabulary instruction, word origin, word structure, focus on form instruction The vocabulary of a language is the only part of it over which we can confidently assert that no single native speaker has total command. This is because the lexis is far vaster, and far less rigidly structured than other levels of language (Steven Dodd, 1993, p. 35)

Effect of prepaid meters on the household expenditure on electricity consumption in Ondo state

Unfair high electricity billing is a challenge to consumers in Nigerian electricity market and it exerts undue pressure on households who are Charged for electricity service that are not supplied by service providers through estimated billing. Customers loss income as a result of this problem. Whether the introduction of prepaid meter will bring succor to consumers is an empirical issue. The hypothesis that adoption of prepaid meter reduces household expenditure on electricity consumption was tested in this study. A total of 577 (362 males and 215 females) participants were drawn from 4 local governments area of Ondo State using multistage sampling techniques. The participants had a mean age of 46.93 years and standard deviation of 21.04 years. The study was analyzed using frequency count, means and percentages. Results showed that 70.72% of the participants witnessed a reduction in their electricity expenditures as a result of adoption of prepaid meter plan which was attributed to elimination of estimated bills and users embracing electricity conservative strategies. More so, about 82% of the participants expressed their preference for prepayment electricity plan over old metering system. The implications of the finding is that the distribution companies should make more prepaid meters available as there is willingness on the part of electricity subscribers to buy into the metering plan

A study of the stylistic markers of the language of cartoons in Nigeria

This paper discusses the stylistic characteristics of the language of cartoons in some Nigerian newspapers. The analysis focuses on printing styles, stylistic registers, and textual features. The author concludes that the informal style (exemplified by the occurrence of Pidgin English, colloquial forms, loan blends, ellipsis, and telegraphic sentences) characterizes the language of the cartoons. Thus, cartoonists use language as an artistic medium in which various options of language are explored for effective communication

A study of the stylistic markers of the language of cartoons in Nigeria

This paper discusses the stylistic characteristics of the language of cartoons in some Nigerian newspapers. The analysis focuses on printing styles, stylistic registers, and textual features. The author concludes that the informal style (exemplified by the occurrence of Pidgin English, colloquial forms, loan blends, ellipsis, and telegraphic sentences) characterizes the language of the cartoons. Thus, cartoonists use language as an artistic medium in which various options of language are explored for effective communication.</jats:p

The Creation of Students' Academic Slang Expressions in the University of Botswana

This study investigates the creation of students' academic slang expressions at the University of Botswana with data obtained from 32 items in a questionnaire consisting of 89 items. The semantic process of extension is the most widespread creative process, producing 101 (66%) out of 153 selected slang expressions. Five morphological processes, compounding, derivation, conversion, acronymy and reduplication, together produce the remaining 52 (34%) expressions. Also the process of semantic extension features in all aspects of the students' academic life in contrast with the other five morphological processes which are restricted. These findings show that the students draw extensively on and exploit the language resources at their disposal to create new meanings for describing their academic life. The findings also show that all the word formation processes highlighted relate to certain areas of the students' academic life, notably, the students' relationships with their lecturers, difficult courses and those who teach them, performances and grades. </jats:p